Health & Medicine

Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in collaboration with scientists from the Harvard School of Public Health, National Cancer Institute, Merck and the University of California have identified a drug employed in treating certain types of lymphoma that help dislodge a hidden virus in patients receiving treatment for HIV.

Opponents of the proposed large soda ban view the measure as unwelcome government intervention -- a further incursion of Mayor Michael Bloomberg's nanny state -- while supporters call it crucial to fighting obesity.

FDA staff are reviewing the eye drug Lucentis ahead of an advisory panel of outside experts, which meets on Thursday to vote on whether to recommend approval of expanded use of the drug, which is administered monthly by injection.

Researchers found that cancer patients deemed to have high social attachment - meaning they had relationships that made them feel emotionally secure and closely connected to at least one other person - are more likely to survive than patients with lesser emotional bonds.

New recommendations from the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists say doctors should ask women a series of questions to see if they might be at risk for high lead exposure before conducting a blood test for the heavy metal.

A spike in whooping cough cases among 10-year-olds and adolescents who are 13 and 14 was a concern, perhaps an indicator that the pertussis vaccine may be wearing off earlier than anticipated, Washington Health Secretary Mary Selecky said.

The CDC found that about 14 percent of pregnant women ages 35 to 44 reported having at least one drink in the previous 30 days, compared to 7.6 percent for all pregnant women and just 4.5 percent for those ages 18 to 24.

Whooping cough, which has claimed the lives of ten people and left close to 18,000 infected so far, seems to have gained a stranglehold that is much bigger than the economic turbulences rocking the U.S.

Narcolepsy drug Provigil has gained popular use among many who lack the sleep disorder needed to be prescribed the drug. The medication for adults has been referred to as “Viagra for the mind” by users who have fallen in love with its grey matter-boosting properties.

A New York-based advocacy group found that nearly 40 laws enacted across 15 states this year have the potential to restrict women's access to reproductive health care, nearly 40 years after the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade made the controversial procedure legal.